skateboard ramp materials?

[BSAKing]

My son and his buddies are building a large skateboard ramp in the back yard and need to cover the plywood structure with something smooth for their skateboards.

Masonite is popular, but is prone to damage by moisture.

Special skateboard coverings are very expensive and out of their price range.

I had thought perhaps a vinyl flooring and glue it on if I could find one not too slippery.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for a suitable material to check out? Price and moisture resistance are the key I guess.

tia

[ransley]

Just curious, what if a neighbor breaks his neck, does homeowner ins cover you, or do you loose the home.

[BSAKing]

they need to sign a disclaimer.

[Jeff]

One suggestion, check out garage floor epoxy coatings.

[S. Barker]

I second the epoxy paint suggestion. Not to slick, not to rough. Vinyl might just be too soft. would slow the boardheads down.

s

[BSAKing]

the kids here still put a covering over the plywood whatever it is.

[BSAKing]

that is an idea - thanks.

[Jeff Wisnia]

Seven years ago I helped our then 14 year old son build a portable ramp, but we never considered covering the plywood with anything more durable than paint.

It never really got a lot of use, most of the fun was in the building of it I guess.

I documented the project, spanning three months, with a not very high resolution digital camera of that era:

Thanks for the mammaries!

Jeff

[David Nebenzahl]

On 4/30/2008 5:13 AM [e-mail] spake thus:

I asked some experts on the subject--my neighbors are hardcore skaters, have a half-pipe in their unit, and have built outdoor ramps--and they tell me the ultimate stuff you'd want to use is "Skatelite":

Expensive, but money well spent, they tell me.

Forget Masonite: they have their indoor ramp covered with it, but it'll deteriorate in no time outdoors.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 4/30/2008 5:22 PM David Nebenzahl spake thus:

Sorry; missed the part of your post where you said stuff like this was out of their price range. Maybe worth checking out anyhow.

[BSAKing]

yes - the kids here had mentioned it and were aware of it, but rejected it out of hand as too expensive for them. Thanks.

Maybe we may try the masonite with an epoxy covering on it. The purpose behind the masonite is to provide a smooth covering over the rough plywood, so maybe it would work. I'll have to look into it and the price.....

[Shad]

replying to BSAKing, Shad wrote: I need some skate flooring too but I can?t find and and I need some help